1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to locks for releasably maintaining a hinged closure in a closed state and, more particularly, to a lock assembly having a plunger that is guidingly moved within a housing between a latched and unlatched position.
2. Background Art
A wide variety of locks/latches are currently present in the art to maintain a hinged closure member in a closed state with respect to a frame to which it is mounted. It is common practice to assemble the lock by providing two separate subassemblies and to operatively interconnect these subassemblies, one each from the opposite sides of the closure.
One exemplary environment for such locks is on doors for travel trailers and motor homes. Typically, the external subassembly is operable by a flat paddle. Operation of the paddle effects repositioning of a plunger from a latched position to an unlatched position on the internal subassembly. Most commonly, pivoting of the paddle is converted into translatory movement of the plunger.
It is desirable to incorporate the plunger into a housing to define a self-contained unit/module in which the plunger is guided by the housing between latched and unlatched positions. Heretofore, various structures have been devised to maintain the plunger and the housing in assembled relationship. Most typically, the plunger is preassembled to the housing after which a separately attached part maintains the plunger captive in assembled relationship with the housing. The extra part(s) might be held in place by fasteners or welded in place.
The need to assemble separate fasteners and/or to carry out the welding step contributes to the complexity of manufacture, which results in an increase in the attendant cost for the locks.
Another problem with the conventional locks is that the construction of some of the interior subassemblies does not lend itself to being actuated from the inside of the closure. While in some applications, this feature is not necessary, it is necessary when the lock is part of a closure, such as a door on a motor home.
A further problem with conventional locks is that it may be difficult with some of these locks to effect mounting on a closure. Separate mounting structure may be provided to connect the housing to the closure. Multiplication of parts, as in most manufacturing processes, increases inventorying problems and complicates manufacture.
A still further problem with conventional locks is that it is often difficult in constructing these locks to maintain all the parts in desired relationship. In most of these locks, a coil spring is used to bias the plunger towards a latched position. The assembler must put the spring in place, which may in itself be a delicate operation, and thereafter complete the assembly to captively hold the plunger and spring within the housing. The spring has a tendency to fall out and may be improperly located if not held in place by the assemblers as the lock is constructed.